Conveyer lubrication



Dec. 8, 1942. JOA 2,304,571

CONVEYER LUBR ICATION Filed NOV. 7, 1941 INVENTOR Cuer 6. Jon.

ATTOQNEYS.

Patented Dec. 8, 1942 UN IT E D STATES PAT E N T O F Fl C E 2,304,571 CONYEYER LUBRICATION .Curt G. Joa, Inc.,

poration of Wisconsin Application November 7, 1941, Serial No. 418,145 9 Claims. (01. 184-15) This invention relates to improvements in con veyer lubrication.

It is the broad object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved means for .protecting the working parts of a heavily loaded conveyer by an arrangement such that these parts are permitted to operate in oil Without substantial loss of oil.

More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide means whereby the bearing surfaces of a conveyer moving in an associated conveyer guideway or track serve as means for the propulsion and circulation of lubricant through a lubricating system communicating at spaced points with such track to the end that the .con- Veyer is actually moving at all times in a body of oil which, by reason of the interaction of the conveyer and the track, is circulated upon a closedpath without escape of substantial quantitles of oil from the apparatus.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved conveyer design in which a conveyer and its guide or track have a novel construction of coasting bearing parts, not only for the support of the conveyer from the guide or track and for the propulsion of oil in a closed circuit including; such track, but also for thesubstantial exclusion of foreign matter from the Cir- .culating oil.

,In the drawing:

-,:Fig. 1 is a View in vertical section through a piece of wood-working eq ipm nt illus rat n in side elevation the application of my invention to a conveyer system forming a part of such section. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail view showing portions of the conveyer in longitudinal section. IFig. 3 is a detail taken in section on line ;3-.-3 of Fig. 2.

. Fig. 4 is a detail taken in section on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a view in perspective illust-ratinga pair of contiguous conveyer links made in accordance with my invention.

Like parts are identified by .the same reference characters throughout the several views.

The invention, while illustrated in connection with a wood-working machine, is by no means limited to this use. The machine comprises no part of the invention. As shown, there is a ma: chine base at 5 and a saw at I which exemplihes a tool past which work is adapted to be propelled by the conveyer.

Extensibly adjustable bearing heads 8 project from the machine frame to carry sprockets at 9 over which operate the conveyers generically Fig. 2, the opening Shehoygan Falls, Wis., a cordesignated by reference character Ill. The sprockets vare special only in that their peripheral contours are adapted to handle the links of the conveyer as hereinafter to be described. The driving connections to the sprockets, comprising no part of the present invention, are not illustrated. The conveyer has work propelling lugs at 11 connected at suitable intervals to certain of its links.

The frame of the machine provides at 15a bed upon which is bolted the trough-shaped con.- veyer guide l6 having at H a bearing surface which, as illustrated, is concave, ,althoughthis is not necessarily (required. For reenforcement, the side plates 18 may be used, if desired, to lap the trough-shaped bearing member i6 and a portion of the bedl5.

The conveyer, as exemplified in the device illustrated, comprises a chain having links 20 and 2!. Links 2| have side plates 22 extended at both vends beyond an interveni g block 23 having a bearing surface 24 which is complementary to the bearing surface 11 of the guide trough 16. The .ears formed by the projecting ends of the side plates 22 receive pintles at 25 whereby the links 2| are connected to the links :20.

Links 20 comprise blocks 26 likewise provided at 21 with bearing surfaces complementary to bearing surface I! of the guide trough Hi, However, the blocks 26 of links 20 are extended to receive the pintles 25 and thus are pivotally connected with links 2i. It will be understood that the two different-types of links aroused in alter! nation in the prod ct, T pmpel -ng g M L maybemounted on-either or both.

. T u eaehlink comp ises a b ock. ctly tim ported b it own beari g s rfa e from t e gu de trough and so closely fitted thereto as to 011- stitute a partition across the trough. The side plates 22 of links 2| may, if desired, rest upon the side members l8 ofthe guideway.

At least at two points along its length, the guide trough 16 has openings through its botfrom ne such open ng .is p ovide t 30 end is elongated to serve as a manifold to receive oil which may be dropped by gravity into the open-.- ing .30 while one of the spaces 32 between the bloek'pertion 2. and 2510f suc e s ve links 2! and 2B is passing thereover, From themani-fold op n n 3: a lubri ant ci cu at ng tunerth form of duct 33 leads in a direction opposite to the direction of conveyer movement to the distributing manifold 34 from which one or more openings 35 lead back to the trough, as shown in 35 at the right communicating With the inter-link space 32 which is passing thereover in the movement of the conveyer chain to the right, as shown by the arrow. A filling reservoir 33 (Fig. 3) preferably communicates with some portion of the circulating system such, for example, as the manifold opening 34 and is adapted to hold lubricant at a level such as to tend to keep the level of lubricant in the circulatory system above the bottom of the conveyer, guide trough l5.

As the conveyer moves, bringing successive inter-link spaces 32 above the manifold 34, lubricant flows by gravity from the manifold through the openings 35 into the conveyer trough to enter such spaces. The lubricant entering the spaces is withdrawn by conveyer movement from further communication with the. manifold and is propelled along the trough by the block 23 or 26 which, as the case may be, immediately-follows the oil-filled space 32.

When the oil-filled space moves into registry with the collecting manifold 30, the head of oil in said space, coupled with the movement of the conveyer, will create a suificient pressure in manifold opening 30 to move from manifold opening 30 through duct 33 to the manifold 34 a portion ofthe oil of the system. Since fresh supplies of oil are constantly being delivered above manifold 30 by the continued movement of the conveyer, the circulation of oil through the system is substantially continuous. The oil level in the trough should be at such a height above the bottom of the trough that all of the oil cannot be displaced from the trough and accumulated in the manifold 30 as the conveyer moves thereover.

It will be observed that the portion of the trough between the collecting manifold 30 and the distributing manifold 34 constitutes a part of a substantially closed system for'lubricant, the

trough being substantially completely covered at all times by the conveyer, the design of which is such as to leave substantially no openings through which foreign matter can reach the trough. Any foreign matter which does reach the trough tends to remain in the manifold 30 and manifold 34 since the rate of circulation is relatively slow and the currents in the system are not adequate'to lift or propel foreign matter. Accordingly, no oil filter is required for the device as herein used.

Iclaim:

l. A self-lubricating conveyer system compris ing the combination with a trough-like conveyer guide and a conveyer having lubricant propelling bearing means fitted to said guide, of a lubricant return duct leading from a portion of said guide advanced in the direction of conveyer movement back to a preceding portion of said guide.

2. A self-lubricating conveyer system comprising means providing a circulatory part for lubricant including an open channel constituting a conveyer guide and a conveyer including spaced bearing portions fitted to said channel to receive support therefrom and to propel lubricant therein.

3. The device of claim 2 in which the conveyer substantially covers said channel to exclude foreign matter therefrom.

4. The combination with a channeled conveyer guide provided with lubricant feed means and at a more advanced point with lubricant receiving means, of duct means connecting the receiving means with the feeding means, and a conveyer having a series of bearing blocks respectively fitted to said guide and spaced from each other for movement along said guide while providing spaces for the reception of lubricant to be propelled along said guide.

5. The device of claim 4 in which the conveyer comprises a series of links, certain of which comprise blocks extending into said guide and having bearing surfaces corresponding in cross section to the cross section of the guide.

6. The device of claim 4 in which the conveyer comprises links and pivotal connections, each link having a central block with a bottom bearing surface corresponding in cross section contour to the cross section contour of the guide, the bearing portions of the respective blocks of successive links being spaced from each other longitudinally of the conveyer, and certain of the links being provided with said members overlapping the top of the guide and providing for pivotal connection between successive links.

7. In a device of the character described, a conveyer guide member of channeled form having a concave trough provided at longitudinally spaced points with oil-receiving and oil-delivering openings, duct means providing circulatory communication between said openngs, a succession of bearing blocks having convexly formed lower bearing surfaces fitted to the concave trough of said guide means, alternate blocks of the conveyer being provided with side plates extended to constitute ears, pintles connecting the ears at the respective ends of said plates with the contiguous intermediate blocks of the conveyer, successive blocks being mutually spaced longitudinally of the conveyer to receive lubricant between them, said blocks constituting dams across the guide for the propulsion of lubricant along the guide for recirculation through said duct means.

8. The combination with an endless conveyer provided with a straight-line support for its working side, said support providing a trough, bearing blocks carried by the conveyer for travel in said trough, means for feeding lubricant into the trough, and means for utilizing the said bearing blocks to recirculate the lubricant from the end portion where the blocks leave the trough to the end portion where the blocks enter the trough.

9. Lubricating means for endless conveyers, comprising a support for the working side of such a conveyer, said support having a longitudinally extending trough, a conveyer mounted to travel along said support and provided with spaced bearing blocks adapted to travel longitudinally in the trough, means for feeding lubricant into the trough, and lubricant storage chambers associated with the respective end portions of the trough in communication therewith, said support being provided with a return duct connecting said chambers, and the bearing blocks of said conveyer being adapted to circulate lubricant along the bottom of the trough and through the chambers and return duct.

CURT G. JOA. 

